Work In Progress
by deathbybunny
Summary: Two different people, living in the same city for different reasons. When their paths cross, they come to learn that things aren't always set in stone and change can be just as terrifying as it is magical.


AN: Hello everyone, long time no see right? I am so sorry for the lack of anything. Life got kinda crazy for me and a lot of things have changed since the last time I wrote anything. I'm so out of practice that it's kind of hard to get back into working on my old stories. Because of this I decided to start something new and hopefully that will get my juices flowing again.

So this story is very loosely based on Kimi wa Petto. I say very loosely because I started out writing this to be like Kimi wa Petto but then decided to make it its own thing. Yeah that's about it. Going to try to work on my other stuff now so hopefully that goes better this time around.

Work In Progress

Chapter 1 Maybe it was Fate

Nanoha stared absently at the stack of papers before her. It almost felt like they were mocking her as they lay in a perfect stack. All in all, she was rather unenthused knowing this stack of papers would be accompanying her home for the evening. It wasn't exactly her idea of a Friday night, but that's what her life had been like for the last couple years. She gathered her student's latest test into her bag for their journey. Teaching, she'd found, was just as rewarding as it was taxing. On certain days she'd felt like she just wanted to quit and pursue a different line of work, but she'd get up the next morning and thoughts of a new career would depart from her mind. It wasn't often she had those kinds of thoughts, after all, everyone had a bad day every now and then. For the most part, she enjoyed every aspect of her job. She loved teaching and she loved helping her students find what they wanted to do with their lives. It's why she decided to do teach instead of taking over her family's bakery. Her parents had been nothing of supportive of the idea which came to her as a great relief.

So here she was, 25 years old and getting ready to spend a wild evening grading her classes English papers. Nanoha was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice a certain person barreling down the hall towards her.

"Nanoha-chan!"

"Eh?"

Another body collided into her. Nanoha was barely able to keep her and her longtime friend from tumbling down the stairs.

"H-Hayate-chan!"

"My bad, my bad." Hayate smiled sheepishly.

It was hard to believe that this person was even allowed to become the principal of the school. Not that she was bad at her job, in fact, the school had such a good reputation because of all the hard work Hayate put into it.

"So," Hayate began innocently, "Got a hot date this weekend?"

Nanoha sighed. This wasn't exactly a subject she wanted to get into. Although Hayate was her boss, after school hours she was her best friend. The two knew each other since elementary, but that didn't mean Hayate played favorites. Not when it came to her school. Nanoha went through several rigorous tests before Hayate allowed her to have even have a go teaching her own class. Once her place in the school was established, Hayate returned to her playful but serious self.

"Hayate-chan…."

"Oh come on Nanoha-chan, you're young, single, and pretty darn cute. What's holding you back?"

A touch of red dusted Nanoha's cheeks as she began her trek once again. This didn't discourage Hayate. The shorter woman kept up with her friend down the winding halls.

"I have no time for dating. My job comes first."

"All work and no play isn't good for you."

"No work and all play isn't good either." Nanoha countered.

"Not in your case when all you do is work."

Nanoha had no retort for that. You couldn't deny the truth when it was being laid out so plainly. That didn't mean she was going to just agree with Hayate either. Her best option was to keep quiet lest she give Hayate more ammo to work with. The two reached Nanoha's car in amiable silence. Of course, that wasn't going to last forever. Considering who her company was, it was merely wishful thinking.

"I worry about you." It was enough to make Nanoha stop. "You moved out here for school, then got a job. Away from your family. I know it hasn't been easy."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Hayate would be the one to notice. Sometimes, the shorter girl's perception was downright scary. She didn't want to worry her anymore though. Any negative thoughts needed to be repressed. She needed to be happy for her friends sake.

"Stop that." Hayate flicked the taller girl's forehead. Nanoha's hands flew up to cradle her non-lethal injury. "I know that look. Don't go there Nanoha."

There was no playful hint in Hayate's tone.

"I'm sorry." Nanoha looked down at her feet ashamed. It'd been months since she'd had one of her episodes mainly thanks to the person standing before her.

"You don't have to apologize." A tender smile graced her lips. "Just tell me if something is wrong. I'm here for you okay? I don't mean to be difficult, I just," Hayate paused to bring Nanoha's hands into her own. "I worry about you, you know?"

"I know." Nanoha smiled gratefully. "I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Want to come over for dinner? Everyone would love it if you came."

Nanoha shook her head. She hadn't been joking when she said she had papers to grade. If she wanted to have at least some of her weekend free, she needed to get to work on them.

"I really need to get these graded."

"Are you sure?"

She knew Hayate wasn't asking about the papers.

"I'm sure. I promise."

With some reluctance, Hayate let her go. Nanoha was infinitely grateful for Hayate's concern but she was okay. On this day at least. A few hours after arriving home, Nanoha found herself making less progress than she would have liked. Distractions seemed to be in abundance. Random shows on TV would distract her so she turned off her background noise. Then she'd suddenly remember her laundry needed to get done thus more time was wasted. Now she found herself walking back to her apartment after a trip to the convenience store. It was becoming a very unproductive night. Nanoha stopped her trek to look up at the sky. The stars weren't very clear thanks to all the city lights which was disappointing. She recalled being able to go to her friend's house and see the sky just fine. Then again it helped that her friend lived in a mansion more on the outskirts of their home town. A pang tugged at her heart. Thinking of home was a curse sometimes. Maybe she wasn't as okay as she thought she was.

Trying to get her mind off its current track, she happened to glance off to the side. A box sat on the sidewalk. It looked unassuming enough but for some reason, she felt drawn to it. Boxes weren't that uncommon on the streets but this wasn't some alley way. It was located very close to her complex but not close enough that anyone would try to throw it away in its proper place. Had that box always been there? Unable to recall if it had, Nanoha walked closer to it. One of the flaps was raised enough for her see what was inside. She'd barely contained the scream that wanted to rip form her throat. There in the box was a body. Looking frantically around, she wondered what she should do. Call the police? Run from the scene? Was this a murder?

Nanoha fumbled with her phone deciding that this was definitely something the police should be handling.

"Ughhhh…"

She felt her heart stop. Had the body just groaned? Slowly inching her way forward, Nanoha listened for anything that may indicate that she was not actually dealing with a dead body.

"Fooooood…."

Lifting one of the box flaps for a better look, she could see the body shifting. This definitely was not a dead person.

-Minutes Later-

Nanoha wondered if she'd really lost her mind. Sitting across from her was the not so dead body of a girl. A blonde teenager to be precise. At least Nanoha thought the girl was a teenager. She looked young enough to possibly still be in high school. If that was the case then there were many questions to be answered. Before that however, she decided to give the girl some food. With some of her strength back, she'd be more coherent to answer her questions.

"Thank you so much!" the blonde managed to say in between bites. It really must have been a long time since she last ate. The meal Nanoha prepared was practically inhaled before her eyes. "And for rescuing me."

"Don't mention it." Nanoha smiled kindly. "I couldn't just leave you there."

In reality she could have. After confirming that the body wasn't dead, she could have easily walked back to her apartment and forgotten about the entire incident.

"Are you an angel?" the girl stopped eating long enough to stare in awe at the woman before her.

Nanoha laughed nervously. Angel? Not the world she'd use to describe herself. Not even close.

"Ah, I'm just a normal person."

"Well, whatever your reason, I'm glad you did. I'm not sure how much longer I would've lasted out there."

"What _were_ you doing in that box?"

It was a question that had been bugging her since the blonde regained consciousness. As Nanoha hauled the girl to her apartment, she couldn't help but notice how malnourished she was. Granted it made carrying her easier but it was troubling to think this girl was starving on the streets.

"I'm a runaway actually."

"Eh?"

She'd said it so nonchalantly you'd think she was talking about the weather.

"Yeah I've been on my own for a little over a year now."

"For a year?" Nanoha was in disbelief. Why wasn't this girl's family looking for her? Did they not care? Maybe she would need to call the police after all, but she couldn't be too hasty. There must be a reason why she ran away. A bad home was a very possible reason. She didn't want to be the one to send her back to an awful situation if that was the case. Nanoha needed more information.

"Yeah. As soon as I turned 16 I left home and flew here."

"Wait flew?"

A nod answered her question. "It was easier to get to Japan from Italy if I flew. I mean I guess I could've taken a ship or something but that's not very time efficient."

"I-Italy?!" Nanoha shrieked. This had suddenly turned into an international issue. How bad was it that she was now housing a runaway from Italy? This could be serious. More serious than she'd originally thought.

"Ah, please don't call the cops." The look of panic on her saviors face made the girl nervous. She needed to calm her down before she lost it. "My parents know I'm here I swear."

The panicked looked slowly melted to confusion. "T-They do?"

"I let them know where I was as soon as I got here." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, guess I should've been clearer about the runaway part."

Nanoha was incredibly relieved. That still didn't answer all her questions.

"So you're technically not a runaway?"

"Technically no."

"Then if you don't mind me asking, why did you come here?"

"Oh you know..."

Nanoha waited for her to finish but the girl suddenly avoided her gaze; finding her nearly empty plate far more interesting than before. It became evident she wasn't going to get an explanation from her guest. Perhaps it was a touchy subject. If that was the case she wasn't going to pry. She just met this girl after all. It wasn't her place to hound her for an answer.

"Do you have a place to stay the night?" A change of subject would do them good. At least it would get rid of the awkward moment.

"Uh, not anymore."

That meant she must've been staying somewhere before. The more she talked to this girl, the more questions she was left with.

"Would you like to stay here the night?"

"Really?" Her eyes widened. Nanoha couldn't help but notice that the girl's eyes were an interesting shade. Burgundy? It was a unique color for sure.

"As a teacher, it'd be irresponsible to throw you back out on the street."

"You're a teacher?"

"That's right." Nanoha pushed herself away from the table to find some blankets for her guest. There was a loft in her apartment that the girl could use for the night.

"Where do you teach?" The girl picked up her plates to take them to the sink to get washed. It was the least she could do for her incredibly generous host.

"At Mid High."

"The private school?"

"The one and only."

"Wow, you must be good to work there."

"Nyaha, I don't know about that, but I do okay for myself." Nanoha finished setting up the spare futon for the younger girl. It'd suddenly occurred to her that throughout their conversation, she'd yet to learn the girl's name. Her manners seemed to have taken a hike on this night. "Nanoha."

The girl turned to her host with a questioning look. It was kind of cute.

"Takamachi Nanoha." She repeated. "That's my name."

Understanding dawned on the girl.

"Fate. You can call me Fate."

No last name? Again, she must have her reason not to reveal such information. At least she had a name to work with even if it could potentially be a fake one.

"Well then Fate-chan, feel free to sleep whenever you're ready."

"Thank you. Really. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Nanoha just smiled. Fate finished up the dishes while Nanoha returned to her work. She'd done so much procrastinating. It was ridiculous. She vowed to get at least half of the stack done before going to sleep herself. She figured Fate would go straight to sleep after the long day she must've had. She wasn't expecting to suddenly have a voice startle her out of her concentration.

"What you doing?"

Nanoha squealed in fright. It was a rather comical sight for Fate. Her body shook trying to restrain the laughter that wanted to erupt. It was a valiant effort but she couldn't hold it in.

"F-Fate!" Nanoha tried, but failed to sound mad.

"I-I'm sorry!" Fate wiped away a tear. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Rubbing her forehead, Nanoha did her best to calm her rapid heartbeat. She'd been so absorbed in her work she actually forgot about her guest! Her awareness was ridiculously terrible. Her attention span in general was not at its best.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Fate looked at a nearby clock. It was almost midnight. "I know it's the weekend but it's pretty late."

Nanoha sighed.

"I have to get these done or at least some of it."

Unbeknownst to Nanoha, Fate had been observing as the teacher worked. She couldn't help but notice that maybe Nanoha wasn't all that well. She seemed to be concentrating on her work, but even the most dedicated of people shouldn't look like they were forcing themselves to do something they didn't want to.

"I'm sure that it's important for you to grade these, but how much progress have you actually made?"

Nanoha looked at the stack. After all the effort she'd put in, only 4 papers were actually graded. It was disheartening and admitting she was failing in her task only added to her stress. While Nanoha sat in deep thought about her failures, Fate positioned herself right behind Nanoha. The teacher was taken by surprise once again when Fate's hands suddenly landed on her shoulders.

"W-what are you doing?" It was amazing how many times she'd stuttered in one night.

"You need to relax."

"I don't have time to relax." Nanoha huffed. "I have responsibil-"

Any further protests were drowned out by Fate's nibble fingers. It was incredibly difficult for Nanoha to hold in any pleasurable groans.

"Wow, you're just full of knots aren't you?" Fate put more pressure on Nanoha's shoulders. "You definitely need to relax more."

"I- aaahhh- have no- ooohhh- time." So much for keeping quiet. She didn't even last that long before she found herself melting under Fate's touch.

Fate couldn't help but smirk slightly. Clearly Nanoha was enjoying this more than she was willing to admit. As much as she wanted to poke fun at her, that wasn't the purpose of this impromptu massage. Instead she opted to continue her work in silence. Clearly, the young teacher needed this and Fate was more than willing to help out. It wasn't long before Nanoha's breathing evened out. She waited for a bit just to be sure Nanoha had indeed fallen asleep. Fate gingerly lifted Nanoha into her arms. She may look weak, but looks were always deceiving. It didn't take much to figure out which room belonged to Nanoha. Fate whispered a simple good night to her as she tucked the older woman in. She slipped out, heading to her own futon to sleep. The fatigue of her day was beginning to catch up to her and sleep sounded like a great remedy. Her head barely hit her pillow when a beeping caught her attention.

She reached into her pocket. The glowing screen of her cell phone lit up the frown her face.

_-Are you doing alright?-_

The frown faded into a thin line.

"_I'm fine."_

_-Eating well?-_

"_Yeah."_

_-Fate…-_

Taking a deep Fate smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Not like it mattered. The person on the other side couldn't see her.

"_I promise I'm doing fine. I even moved into a new place."_

_-I expect an address so I can send you things-'_

"_Won't mom be mad if you do?"_

_-You know your mother means well.-_

Fate wished she could just throw her phone out the window. She really didn't want to talk about anything having to do with her mother.

"_I have to sleep. I have work in the morning."_

It was funny how she no longer felt bad about lying to her family.

_-Alright. I'll talk to you later. Good night Fate.-_

"_Night mom."_

Fate tossed her phone aside. Shutting her eyes she hoped sleep would come soon. It wasn't until the sun peeked through the curtains that Fate finally fell into an uneasy rest.

AN: Back into the writing game! Let's hope I can keep this up right? Questions comments, concerns PM me or hit me up on my tumblr because I have one of those now. Until next time!


End file.
